UC researcher receives NEA grant for public art study

By Angela Koenig UC Communications Hyesun Jeong, University of Cincinnati urban design researcher, has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to determine how public art relates to street vitality and the growth of commercial business in multiple U.S. cities. Researchers will be looking at the relationship between the arts and commerce using data analysis of five U.S cities, including Cincinnati, said Jeong, an assistant professor in UC’s School of Planning within the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP). Jeong is leading the project as a principal investigator. This NEA project expands the boundary of a prior study on public murals and foot traffic in Cincinnati, which received the Faculty Scholars Research Award by UC’s University Research Council in 2023. Using pedestrian database StreetLight Data, as well as socioeconomics and spatial data, the study found that the quality of the urban context of murals, such as the density of housing and retail, is significantly associated with foot traffic. Jeong found that the average weekend foot traffic in the areas having murals is 30% higher than the city’s average weekend foot traffic. Hyesun Jeong on the steps next to Palais de Tokyo Museum in Paris,...